In my life, I've always had passions and loves. I grew up with Spock and Kirk, Anikan and Obi-Wan, Adama and Thrace, Logan and Jean Grey, to the point where I put a white feather in my hair to look like Rogue. (No, it was not my finest moment.) I remember sitting down and watching Star Wars and Star Trek with my dad when he got home from work and those were some of my favorite times with him.

I learned that for the most part, I like DC Comics and their adaptations better than Marvel. Yes, I am a huge fan of Wonder Woman, but I also love Batman and I can't stand Superman. (No, I do not approve of the new movies that were created, I'm talking Christian Bale Batman era and previous. I can't stand Ben Affleck as the new Batman...I think I'd rather step on a nail than watch him destroy one of my favorite superheroes.)

I've watched him play through Deus Ex, Oblivion, Portal, Half Life, and eventually Skyrim. Now, did I actually sit down and play through them myself? Nope. Not unless my dad had a cheat so i wouldn't die and therefore wouldn't mess his game up. In fact, I remember one Star Wars game in which you play a young Jedi named Jaden (Jayden?) and the game creators made it a gender neutral name so you could play as girl or guy. My dad had a cheat to where you had unlimited health and when he was redoing our kitchen he just let me roam the world as his character and try to beat one of the bosses. (I couldn't even with unlimited health.)

Those days where we solved puzzles in Portal or deflected blasts from Stormtroopers are some of my favorite memories from my childhood. It was back before the Marvel movies were such a hit and being a geek was still frowned upon in society for the most part.

He embraced those parts of himself and taught me that sticking out from society was one of the best things you could do. If you embrace who you are, then why does it matter if someone else doesn't like you? It's not your problem as long as you live your life to give the glory to God.

From learning that it's okay to be a girl and enjoy those geeky things about myself, I learned that it's okay to fuel the passions that the world might not understand. I love studying Ancient Greek mythology. I spent about an hour in the Mett just looking at the Greek pottery (my mom was bored out of her mind and eventually drug me to other parts of the museum). It's okay to like going to NASCAR and watching another left turn if that's what makes you happy. It's okay to want to wear high heels for no other reason than you want to look great that day.

I think that's something that a lot of people struggle with in t

heir lives, a sense of identity. From an early age my dad showed me that it's okay to be different and not as he calls it "being sheeple" (aka sheep people).

I'm not saying it's easy. In fact, sometimes you get isolated for embracing your passions that aren't celebrated by the world. I can't tell you how many times I've been looked down upon by people for saying that I want to teach, not only teach, but teach middle school.

It's okay if people don't get you, and most importantly, it's pretty great if one of your favorite memories is being old enough to take your dad to the midnight opening night of a new Star Wars movie.

You may not be able to play video games all day Saturday with your dad anymore, but you'll find new nerdy outlets with new friends... you'll even maybe even join something that's even nerdier than your father.

"I gotta be my own [wo]man, like my father, but bolder."